Round-the-World

How to plan your Journey

Round the World Tickets are not the cheapest option. Here's how you can plan your own unrestricted world trip and save thousands along the way.

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The first step in traveling around the world is to decide on your destinations. This can be a difficult process, as there are so many amazing places to visit and many things to do. It's important to factor in your overall budget, your personal interests, how much time you intend to take and when you will go. However to sometimes it's more fun an inspiring to let the mind go wild. Later on you can do more research around the different travel options and narrow down what you want to see the most.

As you plan your itinerary. Be sure to consider the season, as well as any festivals or events that may be happening in your destination, also consider the seasons and weather. You will need some flexibility in your itinerary, as you never know what unexpected events or opportunities may arise during your trip.

Once you have your destination and itinerary planned, it's time to think about your budget. Traveling around the world can be expensive, so it's important to be realistic about your budget and to plan accordingly. Consider using budget-friendly accommodations such as hostels or couchsurfing, and look for deals on flights and transportation. It's also a good idea to have some extra money set aside for emergencies.

When planning your trip, it's also important to think about your health and safety. Research the local laws and customs, and make sure to have the appropriate vaccinations and travel insurance. It's also a good idea to pack a first-aid kit and to be aware of the local emergency phone numbers.

Finally, it's important to remember that traveling around the world is not just about seeing new places, but also about experiencing new cultures and meeting new people. So, be open-minded, respectful, and willing to try new things. Remember to take plenty of photos and make lasting memories.

Traveling around the world is a rewarding once-in-a-lifetime experience which might seem hard but can simply be a case of taking the first steps. Depending on your travel style a rigid planning and preparation is not not absolutely necessary but will be more efficient if you have big ambitions. With the spirit of adventure and open-mindedness, you're sure to have an incredible journey no mater what you go with.

Around the World Tickets 📍

A popular way to see the world is buying a 'round-the-world' ticket from an airline alliance, however it's significantly cheaper if you book your own flights. You just need to know about the major hub airports and airplane routes.

Mega Hub Airports 📍

Flight Routes

Northern Hemisphere

The most connected cities in the world

Let's start with the conventional ambition of seeing all of the 7 continents. Depending on your budget you will quickly run into a challenge because the southern hemisphere are much more expensive.


Flight routes and cost are not based on geography, it's based on alone on passenger demand. South Africa, South America, Australia and Antarctica are significantly more expensive for this reason, but understanding the world's main airport connections will save you a fortune.


The most connected airports in the world are called airport's are called Mega-hubs. Bangkok, London and New York are amongst the most connected cities in the world to base yourself from. These three stops are a foundation route for of any world journey as they they can also economically get you into the southern hemisphere. (see next topic)

Southern Hemisphere

Getting into the Southern Continents

If you do plan to go south then these Bangkok, London and New York are the best cities to leave from. Some research on skyscanner and google flights will verify this straight away.

A conventional way to look at the world is to break it up in to the 5 main continents, Europe, Africa, America, Asia, Oceania. The world's airlines are based in airports known as hubs, this is basically the home and garage of the airline. Some airports are called Mega Hubs because you can connect to almost every major city in the world from them, this is where you can get the cheapest flights from. If we are to determine the most connected airports along with position there are 5 that stand out and represent access to and between each of these continents.

How much time do you need?

Travel Timing Calculations 

There are several factors that dictate how long you might need to allocate on your trip. There will be limiting factors such as transport duration that are not flexible, to more personal factors that are more changeable. Your travel style has big part to play, what interests you have, how much stuff you like to fit in, how much energy and willingness you have. There is also the possibility that at the actual time of travel your mood and energy levels may also fluctuate.

We have to start somewhere, so the minimum to allocate is a useful measure. Provided you are sleeping the night you will need to allocate 2 days minimum but that if you spend one full day, and a half day on arrival and departure, this is why transport is always a major factor. If you have a tour or excursion you will need to factor in booking it, if you haven't booked it then have an extra day is a good idea.

Example:

Using the above example, you should be able to comfortably fit in 2 stops per country per week, or 3 if you are ok with a tight schedule. I've tried to provide 52 countries in most of my guides to assist in planning a full years travel, so 52 weeks.

It will be then up to you the pace that you decide, if you prefer relaxed and open travel then 1 week per stop will be very comfortable. If you want to be on the run like in the amazing race, then you can pack in 104 or 156 stops maximum by my estimates. Remember that travel time between each stop plays a major factor, if each stop is a country then perhaps that's is possible but would feel quite rushed.

It's very hard to make a shortlist and in the end it will be up you how you define having "seen the world" but I hope this advice helps you give it your best shot.

The Fastest and Cheapest Around the World Journey📍

See the World in 7 Days 📍

Using the World's Airport "Mega Hubs" we can make a viable plan to travel the world in only 7 days at a surprisingly low cost. You will need to be prepared to sleep on the plane, move fast and travel light. This is just to demonstrate what's possible.

Even an around-the-world itinerary in 1 month would still require a lot of time spent traveling between destinations and it would be difficult to fully experience each place. Nevertheless, here is an example itinerary for a 1-month around-the-world trip:

Day 1-7: Tokyo, Japan Day 8-11: Bangkok, Thailand Day 12-15: Dubai, United Arab Emirates Day 16-19: Rome, Italy Day 20-23: New York City, United States Day 24-27: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Day 28-31: Sydney, Australia

It's important to note that this itinerary is just an example, and you may want to adjust the destinations based on your interests and budget. Also, this itinerary is based on the assumption that you are able to get all the necessary visa, health and travel documents, and that all flights, hotels, and transportation are booked and confirmed.

Also, it's important to note that this itinerary is quite hectic and you would not have much time to experience the culture and attractions of each place. It would be much better to pick a few destinations and stay longer in each, that way you can truly immerse yourself in the local culture and see the sights at a leisurely pace.

If we see the world's population as being in 5 main continents, Europe, Africa, America, Asia, Oceania.  The world's main airlines are based in airports known as flight hubs, you can connect to almost every major city in the word from them. 

Using the concept of 5 hubs let's say you are really really short on time or cash, this route could be an absolute minimum for an around the world trip. You would need to stay in the north as the south is much more expensive and less connected.  So for the sake of entertainment let's see how much that would cost to do a full circuit of the world, spending a day then an overnight flights to the next destination.  Prices were quoted 3 months in the future, post covid, November 2021, Nonstop flights only, regular airlines (non budget).



Total Cost: $1903 USD

Minimum Time: 1 Week, Recommended time 1 Month.

Taking a Longer World Journey📍